Josh Johnson has spent the past few offseasons throwing long toss at UNLV, so the unsolicited remark did not come out of left field.

During a recent workout near his home in Nevada, Johnson was approached by Rebels head coach Tim Chambers.

“I was getting ready to throw a bullpen,” Johnson recalled Saturday at FanFest, “and he said, ‘I can see the difference already just by you playing catch’ at 75 feet or what it was at the time. That was huge. I’ve felt good, but for someone else to say I can see a difference, I can see you getting that extension, that was nice.”

For much of 2013, that extension was missing. Johnson remains an injury risk, reflected in the one-year, $8-million deal he signed in November. The Padres’ new right-hander amassed a 6.20 ERA in just 16 starts last season for the Blue Jays, dogged by a throwing elbow that became problematic following spring training.

“The first part of April, it started creeping in. You could tell something wasn’t quite there,” said Johnson, who underwent elbow surgery Oct. 1 to remove bone spurs and loose cartilage. “I couldn’t get the extension.”

Post-surgery, Padres hope a modified initial approach allows the two-time All-Star to return to form. Saturday, Johnson said his elbow had responded well to three bullpen sessions, with another two scheduled before pitchers and catchers report to Peoria, Ariz.

There, the Padres plan to bring Johnson along gradually. He will be on a lighter throwing progression for the first two weeks before increasing his workload in preparation for the regular season.

Said Johnson: “I talked to (Padres manager) Bud Black and he said you might not go every other day and we’re just gonna play it by ear and see how you’re feeling.”

Comeback trails

Although Cory Luebke will require a second Tommy John surgery that will wipe out his hopes of pitching in 2014, two other Padres pitchers with reconstructed elbows remain on track to contribute this season. At least somewhere.

Right-hander Casey Kelly began playing catch off a mound last week at 50 percent and has pushed his long-toss program to up to 160 feet. He said Saturday at FanFest that he expects to be no more than two weeks behind fellow pitchers as they move into bullpen sessions in spring training.

“I’m right where I need to be,” said Kelly, who had his surgery last April. “I didn’t have any setbacks this offseason and I’m coming into spring training really strong.”

Right-hander Joe Wieland, on the other hand, has dealt with a number of setbacks since his July 2012 procedure -- three to be exact, including an unrelated stress reaction in the back of his ulnar bone that shut him down last summer -- but appears well on his way to a healthy start to 2014. He got through two one-inning stints in the Arizona Fall League in November without incident and has been throwing regular bullpens leading up to the start of spring training.